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The Early Years to The Siamese Dream Era The Melloncollie era The melloncollie era 1995 began a landmark era for the Smashing Pumpkins. It began a three-year period filled with success, joy, and great music. The band released their most critically acclaimed and highest selling album yet, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. A worldwide tour followed the release of the album and the Pumpkins became one of the most successful bands in America. Mellon Collie was a very unique and diverse album. Most bands had abandoned the double album concept, but the Pumpkins felt they had the creativity to pull it off. The band had the ambition for the double set long before they even considered doing it for MCIS. Expectations were high for the success of the album. D'Arcy had said, "If you don't sell more than the last record, it means you're going downhill." February The Pumpkins began work on the double album, Mellon Collie, in a practice space in Chicago. Much of the rehearsal tapes were used in the recording sessions. The band announced that they planned to have the 2CD set out by October. The rehearsal space was originally planned as a "rough draft" for the record but became the foundation for the album. "It was the sound of four people together," drummer Jimmy Chamberlain commented. An advertisement for the upcoming performances at the Double Door club read, "The Smashing Pumpkins are proud to present four shows of the intimate kind at the Double Door on February 20, 21, 27, and 28. These shows will feature new songs only, so if you come please expect the unexpected -- i.e. acoustic songs, long-winded jams, teary overtures, blown lyrics, and out-of-tune setimentality. Many would argue these are features at the core of our normal concerts. That being said, we hope you'll join us in putting some nails in the coffins of the past and welcoming in a terrifying future." Thus, the Pumpkins began the first of four famous sold-out shows at the Double Door on the 20th as advertised. The shows were open to the 21+ crowd only. They were not a complete surprise. The band was upholding the tradition of the past two albums of playing the new songs live prior to recording. This is for the band to get a feel for the new material. The shows were intimate appearances limited to fewer than three hundred people due to the size of the Double Door club. The press was banned from the show, and tickets were extremely difficult to obtain. Nevertheless, the show was audible outside the club. Jim DeRogatis, a Chicago Sun Times critic, was barred from the shows due to his low rating of Siamese Dream. However, he brought his own lawn chair and reviewed the show from outside the venue. The band continued by doing three more shows with the second one on the next day (21st), the 27th, and finally the 28th. The band performed a total of twenty-seven new songs. "You can scream all you want for your old favorites, but we're not going to play any," Billy told the audience. Many of the songs turned up on their Mellon Collie album. Rare b-sides and covers rounded out the two-hour shows. Tickets were $5 and all proceeds went toward charity. March - July The band began a grueling schedule of 12-16 hour workdays in the recording studio for their third album [fourth if Pisces Iscariot, the '94 b-sides compilation, is considered], Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, at Pumpkinland and Chicago Recording Company. Billy called it "almost continuous work." Billy wrote about fifty songs for the new album, with James adding 12 to 15 of his own. In addition, Billy later had regrets about the recording of the album. "Mellon Collie had compromises, but not musically just because it was too much. Some songs didn't get the energy that they deserved because we had too much to do." Interestingly enough, many of the MCIS songs were done in just one day. Billy began writing for the album almost immediately after the end of the Lollapalooza tour in '94. He began writing for about four hours a day, and then five hours of rehearsing. By the end of the album, he worked 16-hour days, and only slept for about four hours, for almost two months. Producers Flood and Alan Moulder accompanied Billy in the technical work on the 2CD set. They applied the embellishments, finishing touches, synthesizers, sequencers, rhythm loops, and other studio mischief to the Pumpkin sound. Flood was chosen as the producer for several reasons. Billy and James both own many of the records he produced (Crime, City Solution, Erasure, Depeche Mode, My Bloody Valentine, U2). Apparently, Billy had met him at a party and they had discussed working together. The band had submitted him demos as well. The decision was quite simple: the band felt they could "do better on this crazy album" with Flood. Butch Vig, the producer of the past two studio efforts, was dropped for the project. The band felt that they had an attachment to Vig that would be a disadvantage to them. They felt their relationship was too predictable and the Pumpkins were looking for a refreshing change. More importantly, a repeat or similarity of past Pumpkin records was to be avoided. Butch focused on a technically perfect sound, influenced by his drumming background. Flood was more interested in capturing a sound or a mood. The recording studio was divided into two different rooms for the recording of the album. Alan Moulder and James Iha would occupy one room, while Billy Corgan and Flood would be in the other. Many guitars and pedals were brought in. Songs such as "Thru the Eyes of Ruby" used over twenty-five separate guitar tracks. The track "X.Y.U." was recorded with all live guitars, vocals, and bass in the studio. The band would record for five to six hours and end the day with a jam or the work of a new song for a few hours as well. Billy often said that Mellon Collie was not a "concept album" and that there were no one theme surrounding the set. He felt that it described life in general, youth, hate, and frustration. However, Billy felt that there were twenty to thirty themes on the new album. Guitarist James Iha explained that the new album had his best guitar talent yet. The band had a completely different approach to complete the work for the album. They first had decided to record in their rehearsal space and then head to the studio. In the past albums of Siamese Dream and Gish, each of the parts of drums, bass, guitars, vocals, and solos were done separately and individually. Computer technology was used in the making of the new album. The band employed a Studio Vision Pro with ProTools Software running on a Macintosh 8100 to do loop samples and manipulate bass tracks. The Pro Tools application could handle up to one hundred and twenty eight tracks. The band used a 24-track analog machine and additional sixteen tracks on ProTools. Many of the tracks were completely built from samples and sequenced using this technology. During the recording of the album, Billy was reading various religious books, mostly spiritual. He read the Vedas and Upanishads (two Hindu texts) and Christian martyrs. Billy was also reading an ancient Sanskrit Yoga book that afriend gave to him. Once recording was complete, the trio mixed the album at the Village Recorder in Los Angeles, CA. Guitarist James Iha records his songs at his own studio, Bugg Studios, in Chicago with Kerry Brown of Catherine (also the husband of bassist D'Arcy). James performs a duet with Veruca Salt's Nina Gordon on "Said Sadly" a song later released as a b-side. In late June, the band announced that they were in search of a touring keyboard player. A press release was issued stating the following, "The Smashing Pumpkins are looking for a keyboard player to accompany them for upcoming live performances. Extensive knowledge of equipment is a must, but playing ability is. Sight-reading and your own gear is not necessary, but you must be 18 years of age or older. Please send a five minute cassette tape of yourself playing whatever you wish (please no Pumpkins songs) in whatever style you want. Tapes will not be judged on their audio qualities, so boombox tapes are fine." A mailing address to Soundworks in Chicago was included with a deadline of July 14th. The band was flooded with over three hundred tapes, but none were listened to at all. Jonathan Melvoin showed up, played, and was chosen as the new touring keyboardist, but met an unfortunate future. August The band announced that the their new album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, was due out on October 24th. According to Virgin Records, the Pumpkins had recorded five cover tracks, five acoustic songs, and five pop noise songs. An "excess" of twenty b-sides were also recorded and planned to be released in a b-side compilation later in the year. The band made another appearance at the Reading Festival in Reading, UK on the 25th. They played a set that included half-new songs, half-old songs. Billy thought of the festival as, "60,000 dirty tired English people rocking in the mud." The intent was to judge the reaction to the new songs and the band was pleased with the positive feedback they received, similar to the idea behind the four Double Door shows back in February. The Pumpkins played on the 26th at the Pukelpop Festival in Kiewwit-Hasselt, BE following the performance of Soundgarden. The band performed last on the Main Stage. Spetember The band began a search for a new manager with auditions of five teams, three-hour meetings each. October MTV aired a Rockumentary on the band on the 17th. The report features all four band members and Vieuphoria (the live video from '94) footage. The Rockumentary is re-broadcasted three years later. The Pumpkins did a record release party show at the Riviera Theater on the 23rd in Chicago. Cheap Trick opened the show, and joined the band later onstage for the final three songs. They were: "Baby Loves to Rock", "If You Want My Love", and "Auf Wiedersehen". The entire show was broadcasted live on many radio stations (courtesy of The Album Network and Virtually Alternative) throughout the country and an Internet simulcast. The live broadcast included the portion where a generator caught fire and causes a power outage during the third song in the set, "Zero". After about ten minutes in the dark, the band resumed playing. Following the debut at the Riviera, there was an after-party at the Double Door. Well wishers, Virgin employees, Cheap Trick, and the band were all present. A 12-piece Mariachi band played in the background. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was released on the 24th under Virgin Records. The album featured 28 songs and entered the Top 200 Billboard Charts at #1. Guitarist James Iha had written the song "Take Me Down" and the final song "Farewell and Goodnight" featured all four members on vocals. The double album had two CDs separately titled "Dawn to Dusk" and "Twilight to Starlight". The album was a representation of the cycle of living and dying. The day is the "Dawn to Dusk" and the night is of course "Twilight to Starlight". The album was thought to end an era for the band, since Billy had repeatedly said that future plans were going to be very different. The CD included two booklets (one with lyrics, one with pictures). The title of the album was identified by D'Arcy as originating from "a bad pun game getting out of control." The first single from the new album, "Bullet With Butterfly Wings", was also released on the 23rd. It featured one b-side, "Said Sadly", the duet with Nina Gordon and James. The CD is now out of print and another version of it was later released in a box set. Billy had felt that it was an "absolute obvious choice." However, he wanted the song "Jellybelly" because he felt it was a classic Pumpkin tune. However, "Bullet's one of those songs where it's easy to sing along to and ya gotta sell them records." The song was influenced by the band's experience as the headliners for the '94 Lollapalooza tour. Initially, the Pumpkins were excited to lead the ensemble, but later found the tour not in their favor, and ended up having a very horrific experience. In a Raygun interview, Billy mentions that he has plans for a "totally beautiful album" with no rock guitars. This was the general theme for the next album, titled Adore. November The band canceled a tour of playing in projected venues with 1,500 seats. The Pumpkins thought it was the ideal tour, however they were pressured to aim for higher ticket sales, and became so frustrated that everything was cancelled. "If I had my way, we'd play in places that just held a few hundred," adds D'Arcy. Billy explained to several journalists that Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was the last Pumpkin album of their style. The Pumpkins' second album, Siamese Dream, had current sales of 4,287,000 at this point. The Pumpkins made their second appearance on "Saturday Night Live" on the 11th. Quentin Tarantino hosted the episode. Courtney Love was in attendance for the band's performance. Billy made his first appearance with a shaved head. His reason was, "I just got so sick of worrying about appearance that by shaving my hair completely, de-emphasizes the way I look. I kind of subscribe to the Einstein theory that the less you have to think about the more upwards you become." The band played "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" and "Zero" from the new album. December D'Arcy's sister's boyfriend stole some demo tapes from her house and sold them prior to the completion of the double album. It was distributed on the Internet. The band made an appearance for a French television show, as part of their European tour, in Paris on the 10th. David Bowie introduced the Pumpkins. Both Billy and David were interviewed following the appearance. After the show, the Pumpkins returned to Chicago and began shooting their new video, "1979". 1996 It was probably the most successful year for the band to date. The Pumpkins triumphed with the mega sales of their latest album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The LP sold many more copies than expected, and it thus propelled the band to be the premier alternative bands of the year. The band continued their world tour in promotion for Mellon Collie and played shows for the whole year, and finally finishing in 1997. Billy sported one of his most famous ensembles of a long-sleeve black shirt with the word ZERO in silver letters in the center. He also wore silver pants to accompany the shirt. Billy explained his phenomenon with "it's all art." The shirt became very popular at the shows. The band almost always played their hit single, "Tonight, Tonight" with Georges Melies's 1902 "Voyage to the Moon" on the background behind the band. Other sorts of video screens displaying kaleidoscopic images were also used. The tour featured an extended version of Siamese Dream's "Silverfuck". Before the tour, rehearsals for the song were all improvised and various jams were intertwined. There are apparently four different versions of the song that are completely different. The song became a frequently used encore that lasted about 25-40 minutes. Drummer Jimmy's drug habits seemed to diminish during the Mellon Collie recording sessions, regulating himself to his pack and a half of cigarettes a day. However, his drug use increased significantly during the tour and would later lead to his downfall. The band continued to be under the false impression
that Jimmy was using drugs sparingly. "We were January The band kicked off a small tour of the US on the 2nd. The mini-leg consisted of an acoustic song set, followed by a "big raucous rock show." The Pumpkins wore their pajamas in some shows for the acoustic set. The goal was philanthropic once again, with the intention to provide the most amount of music for the least possible amount of money. The occupancies were 1,000-1,500 and the shows lasted about three hours. The second single from Mellon Collie, "1979" was released on the 22nd. It featured another James Iha track, "The Boy". The cover of the single does not feature D'Arcy, it is Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac. The song was noted as a very diverse style compared to the other tracks and was also the last song written for the album. Some say this led to the transition for the later material that was more electronic-orientated. The song was also one of Billy's favorite songs from Mellon Collie. Interestingly enough, the track was written and recorded in less than five days. In the elimination process for the forty-odd songs, producer Flood had told Billy to drop the song but the frontman asked for an additional day to work on it. That night, Billy wrote the entire song and played the new demo for Flood the next morning. The Recording Industry Association of America announced on the 22nd that Siamese Dream had been certified as going platinum four times by selling 4,000,000 copies+. The Pumpkins headed to The American Music Awards on the 29th in Los Angeles. February The Recording Industry Association of America announced on the 1st that Mellon Collie had been certified as going platinum by selling 1,000,000 copies. The Pumpkins enlisted the assistance of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell for equipment and other Seattle brethren. The band's equipment was misplaced due to a flooding in the Pacific Northwest, but was able to put on their scheduled performances on the 9th and 10th at the Moore Theater. The band began an Asian leg of their MCIS tour with Filter opening on 19th in Osaka, Japan. The first of three drug abuses of Jimmy and Jonathan occured on the 29th at the band's show in Bangkok, Thailand. "Jonathan was fine, but Jimmy was definitely out of it," said Billy. Billy also warned Jonathan that if there was a second offense, he was to be fired. A second offense (and a fatal third offense for Jonathan) did occur three months later in May. March The Recording Industry Association of America announced on the 8th that Mellon Collie had been certified as going platinum six times by selling 6,000,000+ copies. Addicted to Noise reported that on the 19th, the Pumpkins had to postpone their New Zealand and Sydney shows because of the death of drummer Jimmy's father. The Australian and New Zealand dates are made up in May. April The Recording Industry Association of America issued a press release on the 2nd that the Pumpkins have attained a six million mark in album sales of Mellon Collie. The Pumpkins resumed their European leg of the MCIS tour, with Filter as the opening band, on the 3rd in Rotterdam. The third single from Mellon Collie, "Zero", was released on the 23rd. It contains several b-sides, and a 23-minute compilation of song snippets entitled "Pastichio Medley". May The second of the three drug abuse incidents occurred on the 2nd in Lisbon, Portugal. Jimmy and Jonathan were both found unconscious outside a hotel, and rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. "Adrenaline shots to the heart, the whole 'Pulp Fiction' bit," as Billy put it. After the show, Billy told Jonathan, "You're fired, but I want you to finish the tour because you're gonna leave us in the lurch." On the 11th, The Pumpkins played a show at the Point Theatre, in Dublin Ireland. The tragedy struck. The band was playing a very energetic version of "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" and a 17 year-old teenager, Bernadette O'Brien was crushed and suffered internal injuries. She was camped out near the front of the stage with a hometown friend and two cousins from Dublin, O'Brien was overpowered by a surge of the crowd and crushed by the masses. The Shanagarry resident of County Cook had her life-support system disconnected by doctors at Dublin's Mater Hospital. She had died from the massive internal injuries. In fact, four other young people were injured in the same incident. The band sent flowers to the funeral and released a statement extending their condolences to the family and friends of Bernadette. The scheduled date at Ulster Hall in Belfast was cancelled as a mark of respect. The "Homerpalooza" episode of The Simpsons aired in the United States on the 19th. The episode featured the Pumpkins. Executives contacted the band's management and they agreed. They just went into the studio where they had four microphones set up. They said each of their four lines three times and the stand-in Homer responded. The band found it to be an interesting and humorous experience. The Los Angeles Times reported on the 26th that bassist D'Arcy would sing a duet with Mark Rew, for a song by her husband Kerry Brown's band called Catherine. "Four Leaf Clover" was the first single from the Hot Saki and Bedtime Stories album. June The band released their fourth single from Mellon Collie, "Tonight, Tonight" on the 11th. The song became an award-winning video for MTV. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Farris made it. The original concept of the video was derived from a 1900's silent film director Georges Melies and gave the band much recognition at the annual awards later in the year. Billy casually mentioned in several interviews of a potential box set of all the Mellon Collie singles and 28 b-sides all in one package for Christmas, with a few tracks exclusive to the set. The city of Cincinnati rejected an offer by the band to play at Riverfront Coliseum due to safety concerns. The group asked for a mosh pit at Riverfront and the city refused. Joseph Charlton explained, "We investigated the band and received information that there was a potential for injury there." It's probable that their investigation turned up information of May's incident in Dublin with the death of a 17 year-old girl of injuries. The Pumpkins began their first US leg of the tour in Michigan on the 25th. Former produer Butch Vig and his band Garbage joined as the opening band for the first and third leg of the tour. July Addicted to Noise reported on the 4th that the band would be back in Chicago for an "MTV Unplugged" session featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The projected set did not occur for unknown reasons. Billy revealed in an interview at the Landover, Maryland show on the 9th, that a "Pastichio Medley" song, "Disconnected" was to appear on the next single. It was renamed to "The Aeroplane Flies High" and released on the "Thirty-Three" single as a b-side. In the same interview, Billy also revealed plans for a full orchestra at the MTV Music Awards. The tragedy continued in the soap-opera life of the Smashing Pumpkins. Touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, 34, overdosed of a potent mixture of alcohol and heroin (specifically a substance known as Red Rum) in Manhattan's Regency Hotel with Jimmy. He called 911 late on the night of the 11th. The dispatchers advised Jimmy to put Melvoin's head in the shower and attempt to revive him. After paramedics arrived, Melvoin was pronounced dead at the scene of a heroin overdose with a self-administered syringe. Billy received a call from touring manager Tim "Gooch" Lougee at Manhattan's Four Seasons. Gooch said, "Jimmy's OD'd. Jonathan's dead. Cops are here." The other members of the band, D'Arcy, James, and Billy were all brought down to the 19th Precinct police station on East 67th Street for questioning, but later released that day on the 12th. Jimmy was also brought down and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was scheduled to appear for a hearing in court on August 13. The Pumpkins were scheduled to play at New York's Madison Square Garden, but had postponed the remainder of their July dates. The band were not invited to the Mevloin's funeral service on the 15th. On the 17th, five days later, the band issued a press release. They announced that they have "decided to sever our relationship with our friend and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin." The group decided to search for a replacement to complete the tour, which was to resume in August. Billy explained to many magazines and in interviews for the reasons he and the band were forced to fire Jimmy. He said, "We fired the guy to save his life. We could not continue thinking, 'Hmm, maybe he'll get better.' We were criticized for being intolerant and not helping Jimmy when he needed us most. Believe me, the guy couldn't have had any more chances. He used up all his chances plus five. For everyone's safety and mental health stability, we had to part company." Jimmy entered a rehab clinic almost immediately after his release according to Addicted to Noise. Rock veteran Kenny Arnoff contacted the band almost immediately following the dismissal of Jimmy. He sent in his resume, but the band would later settle on Filter drummer Matt Walker to continue with the MCIS tour. Arnoff did not protest the decision and continued working with Melissa Etheridge and John Fogerty. The band held initial recording sessions for their upcoming album, Adore, shortly after Jimmy was ousted. Nearly ten songs were hastily recorded in a week. The band had wanted to experience rehearsing and recording as a trio, a lineup unaccustomed to them since their very early days. Songs were written in the morning by Billy, and recorded later that day. During those initial sessions, "To Sheila", "Ava Adore", "Daphne Descends" were recorded. The session was later scrapped since the final product made the songs seem to be more like demos. Billy joined his friends in Cheap Trick for a few songs on the 21st. He played with the band for a benefit show at Park West in Chicago. It was his first public performance since the tragedy with Jonathan Melvoin. Billy played on "If You Want My Love" and "Auf Wiedersehen". James and D'Arcy host a huge party at a Chicago club on the 27th for their record label, Scratchie Records. MTV announces on the 31st that the Pumpkins had received eight MTV Video Music Award nominations, mostly for their video of "Tonight, Tonight" and were scheduled to perform at Radio City Music Hall in New York on September 4. The first week was spent with very secretive auditions for a new drummer to finish the tour in New York. Addicted to Noise reported on the 6th, that Dennis Flemoin of the Frogs was going to fill in on keyboards for the late Jonathan Melvoin. Two days later, on the 8th, the band issued a press release that Filter drummer Matt Walker would be the touring drummer for the remaining shows leading to 1997. Filter was the opening act for the European legs of the tour. In addition, Dennis Flemoin, drummer for the Frogs, was to be the touring keyboardist as reported by Addicted to Noise. The tour was set to resume in Las Vegas on the 27th. Rehearsals in Chicago, which lasted for several weeks, began immediately after the press release. Jimmy appeared at the Manhattan Criminal Court on the 13th, for an arraignment stemming from his arrest following on drug possession charges of Pumpkins touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin. Jimmy pleaded innocent to the charges. Jimmy was arrested and charged on July 12. Jimmy, 32, was in a drug rehabilitation program since the arrest, and according to his attorney Richard Schaeffer, he was "doing quite well" and "trying to get healthy." The Pumpkins performed a matinee show at the Cabaret Metro on the 23rd in Chicago. It was their first public performance since the death of touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, and the subsequent firing of Jimmy. The band performed for a crowd of only 1,100. The show information was announced only a day before, and sold out in an hour. Tickets were $12 and went to the Christmas Is For Kids charity. Matt Walker made his debut as the new touring drummer with rave reviews from the critics, especially Addicted to Noise. He was described as "a monster." Virgin Records certified on the 27th that Mellon Collie has gone platinum seven times in the US, and reported as the "best selling double CD of all time." Mellon Collie has gone nine times platinum in Canada and platinum several times in Europe. The Pumpkins played their first official, and quite successful, show on the 27th at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas as reported by Addicted to Noise. The LA Times reported that Billy said, "We're surprised at how unweird it felt out there. We worried it might feel creepy or weird or some kind of deflated stage, but it doesn't feel like that at all." September The Pumpkins made a big sweep by winning seven awards at the 13th annual MTV Video Music Awards on the 4th. Before the show, they did a lengthy interview with MTV. They revealed that Jimmy and Jonathan had two previous overdoses before the July 12 incident. Billy reinforced his stand on Jimmy's return, by saying "He is out of our lives." They won all the following awards for their video "Tonight, Tonight": Best Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction In a Video, Best Art Direction, Best Special Effects in a Video, Best Cinematography. They also won the Best Alternative Video award for "1979". "We've had an interesting year. We lost a friend. We lost a drummer. But I hope we haven't lost any fans. To anyone who wonders, we're fine," commented Billy. The band had a small gathering (comprised of about thirteen bands, four supermodels, and players on the New York Mets) at the Four Seasons Hotel following their success at the Video Music Awards earlier that night on the 4th. The Pumpkins issued a press release on the 25th announcing a special 5-CD singles box set. The release was called "The Aeroplane Flies High" and contained B-sides from all the singles including five cover songs exclusive to the box set. The set was due on November 19th. October Jimmy pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on the 8th when he appeared in court before Criminal Court Judge Donna Recant. If Jimmy successful completes rehabilitation program by December (and stays clean), his court records will be sealed. If he fails, he will serve fifteen days in jail. MTV Europe confirms on the 13th that the band will appear at their annual video music awards show. Allstar Music reports that Jimmy was collaborating with the Breeders' Kelly Deal, Frogs' Jimmy Flemoin, and Skid Row's Sebastian Bach. Addicted to Noise reported on the 29th that Billy was going to do a new song called "Eye" for David Lynch's "Lost Highway". The track was a solo work, but the whole band was credited. Also, the song "Tear" was originally intended for the soundtrack, but was rejected. It later became the sixth track on Adore. November The band's fifth single, "Thirty-Three" was released on the 12th. Interestingly enough, the single featured another song from James, "The Bells". The band won the Best Rock Act Award at the MTV Europe Music Awards on the 14th. They played a goofy version of "Bullet with Butterfly Wings". Billy was quoted to have said "Oasis should have won this [an award for Best Rock Act Award]" was due to the fact that when Oasis won an earlier award, their manager accepted on their behalf and thanked the audience on "behalf of the best band in the world since the Beatles". Billy and the band found the Beatles and Oasis connection largely amusing, and absurd. And they thought that if Oasis was the best band, then they should have won the Best Rock Act Award category. "The Aeroplane Flies High", the 5-CD box set, was released on the 26th. The box was comprised of the five singles from Mellon Collie. The singles were extended versions European releases and a few extra tracks. Not surprising, since Billy said that, "I've often felt that our b-sides show more of our true character than some of our albums." Billy contributed six tracks with the help of touring drummer Matt Walker to Ron Howard's "Ransom". Five of the tracks were instrumental, and known as the "kidnapper's boom box music." The soundtrack was released on the 26th as well. In the second week, Sebastian Back of Skid Row, announced that he formed the band "The Last Hard Men" with former Breeders guitarist Kelly Deal on bass, ex-Pumpkin drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, and Jimmy Flemoin from the Frogs for guitar, bass, and vocals. The group's first single, "School's Out" was recorded for Wes Craven's "Scream" and released in December. December Rumors for a follow-up to 1994's "Vieuphoria" live video surfaced, after Billy told fans of a "million dollar camera" that was filming the Anaheim, CA show on the 10th. Addicted to Noise reported on the 23rd that Billy was to be part of a tribute at David Bowie's 50th birthday celebration at New York's Madison Square Garden. Jimmy completed drug rehabilitation, and began to concentrate playing with his new band, The Last Hard Men. Billy's wife, Christine Fabian, filed divorce papers on the 29th at the Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, and cited "irreconcilable differences" after 3.5 years of marriage. The couple had apparently been living apart for six months. Billy had repeatedly said, "There is not and will not be any public record on my marriage. That's one thing I have to draw lines around." 1997 The year was a very interesting, but strange one for the band. The band finished their fourteen-month tour for Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness in February, and until that time, they encountered many legal situations. Then began the tedious and precise work for the next album, Adore. The Pumpkins worked and recorded meticulously once again, but had several problems during the initial recording sessions for the new album. January In the January edition of Guitar World Magazine, Billy and James both dissect each song from the recently released The Aeroplane Flies High 5-CD box set. The first date in the final leg of the MCIS tour begins in Reno, NV on the 4th. Fountains of Wayne opened for the 4th leg. On the 25th show at the New Haven Coliseum in Connecticut, concertgoer Peter Jefferey, a Princeton University music history professor, allegedley lost part of his hearing. He sues the band in March of 1999. The band received seven Grammy nominations on the 7th. They were nominated for:
Billy and James joked about a future appearance on the "X-Files" at a Vancouver appearance on the 8th. However, it led to a series of rumors for many months. The band later announced that they were simply spinning tall tales, and won't be making appearances on the sci-fi hit show. The band filed a lawsuit on the 9th at Los Angeles Superior Court against their music publisher, Chrysalis Music. They claim for declaratory relief, rescission, damages for breach of contract, slander of title, among other claims. They also claimed that a publishing deal from 1992 for thirty-two songs, was now void since they had exceeded that by releasing four albums. The Pumpkins asked for a minimum of $10 million in damages. However, Chrysalis demanded two additional albums from the band. Billy joined David Bowie for two songs at his fiftieth birthday party celebration held at Madison Square Garden in New York on the 9th. Billy denied rumors that he and supermodel Helena Christensen were dating each other on the 25th, in Allstar Magazine. He said, "That is so funny. I'm friends with Helena Christensen, and so is my girlfriend, Yelena Yemchuk, and we flew to Denmark to be with Helena and her boyfriend over New Year's." Billy also announced that he was getting a divorce from his wife, Chris Fabian. The band won "Favorite Alternative Artist" at the American Music Awards on the 27th. Due to touring conflicts, they were not able to attend. The Recording Industry Association of America announced on the 27th that Mellon Collie had been certified as going platinum eight times by selling 8,000,000 copies. Addicted to Noise reported that Billy was expected to produce "three or four tracks, maybe more" for former Cars leader Ric Ocasek's forthcoming solo album, "Troublizing". The band was announced to do a theme song for the "Batman and Robin" sequel. February The Pumpkins wrapped up their 165 shows, 14 months, and 5 continent tour in support of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadnesson the 5th in New Orleans. Billy entered a New York studio to assist Ric Ocasek for his solo effort, "Troublizing". Billy produced five songs and wrote the song "Asia Minor". In addition, he also played guitar on several songs. The Pumpkins began demoing further for their next album, Adore. Billy did a solo appearance at the fifth annual Tibet House Benefit at Carnegie Hall in New York on the 17th. He played two acoustic songs solo, and then provided backup guitar, vocals, and piano for the other performers. In his brief set, Billy debuted an unreleased song, "Need", which appeared in a very short form on Adore. The Pumpkins performed "Muzzle" for the Conan O'Brien show on the 25th in New York. The Pumpkins won Best Hard Rock Performance for "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards on the 26th. They also perform their hit, "1979", and are joined by former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna with tour drummer Matt Walker as well. March Billy celebrated his 30th birthday on the 17th, also St. Patrick's Day. The band was announced to be doing a small summer festival European tour, and at such areas such as the Glastonbury Festival, Belgacom Festiva, Torhout, and Werchter. April Billy received the #2 spot in Spin Magazine's "40 Most Vital Artists". A nasty April Fool's Day joke from the band of a breakup had many people in tears and rumors continued until the end of the month. In the third week, the new Pumpkins song, "The End is the Beginning is the End" hit radio across the country. The band rejected a request from MTV for an Unplugged session on the 14th. Rumors of a collaboration project of Billy, Marilyn Manson, and Twiggy Ramirez called Fairy began at the "Private Parts" premiere on the 16th. May "The End is the Beginning is the End" video premiered on MTV on the 20th. Billy attended a birthday party for Dennis Rodman, 36, and performed one song with Poi Dog Pondering. June The Pumpkins released their single, "The End is the Beginning is the End", on Warner Brothers. The single was from the film "Batman and Robin". The Pumpkins played a clandestine club date at Chicago's Double Door (holding only 500) under the pseudonym of "Audio Vanguard Association" on the 23rd. Fans in attendance were either intelligent enough to read between the lines from advertisements for a Frogs set (which was strange since the Frogs had played at nearby the Metro two nights before), or were lucky enough to stumble into the small nightclub. The show was done in preparation for a string of European festival dates. Tickets for the show were a mere $7, and the show consisted of mainly Mellon Collie tracks, with the band's latest hits, "Eye" and "The End is the Beginning is the End". Interestingly enough, the Frogs opened the surprise set in a mock Pumpkins' drag outfit. They played nothing but pre-Mellon Collie songs. In the third week, an obsessive webhead fooled scores of fans, corporations, and magazines. The webhead posted to several mailing lists and the newsgroup posing as a Virgin Records representative and "announced" of two new Smashing Pumpkins albums. The summer festival mini-tour continued with a Glastonbury, UK appearance on the 27th. July Addicted to Noise reported on the 1st that James was considering doing a solo album. The brief summer tour ended on the 9th in Prague, CZ. Recording sessions for James Iha's solo record, Let It Come Down began and several musicians from his record label, Scratchie, appeared. Matt Walker helped out as the drummer. The recording continued throughout the summer, and eventually released in February. D'Arcy and Kelly Deal teamed up to cover the Rod Stewart '70s hit, "Tonight's the Night". The cover was hoped to appear on a Rod Stewart tribute album. Billy Corgan, Marilyn Manson, and Chris Vrenna's supposed side project, "Fairy" is canned after Vrenna leaves the band to work on Axl Rose's solo album. The Pumpkins received four nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards, all for their video "The End is the Beginning is the End". The band received nominations in: Best Cinematography in a Video, Best Editing in a Video, Best Special Effects in a Video, and Best Direction in a Video. The Early Years to The Siamese Dream Era The Melloncollie era |